Tag Archives: Metal Zenith

Infestation is one of the new voices of Thrash Metal. Hailing from Germany, they bring a Teutonic fury to a genre that sometimes gets stuck in 1980s Bay Area sounds. Infestation smashes that trend with indomitable guitar work, frenetic rhythms, and harsh vocals. You will hear Classic Era Thrash influences throughout their music, but there is a modern twist added that gives this debut album a new sound.

20 Watt Tombstone are something different, new. They call this sound Death Blues, and as you can imagine, it is a wild mixture of several sounds and styles, all of which come through clearly and help to make this a unique blend of badass tones. Swaying through Doom and Stoner while carrying a Blues riff, they create a sound with hints of the Midwest and Appalachia fused with early British Metal.

Gun Recoil is a Thrash Metal band formed in Athens, Greece in 2020. After three years, they have finally released their debut EP, Underground Prison. Having formed during a worldwide pandemic, it is no surprise it took this long to get the first record out. Built on the belief that the 80s Bay Area Thrash was one of the greatest eras in music, Gun Recoil seeks to honor that time while establishing its voice. This is a well-rounded Thrash EP ready to take a spot in your current listening rotation.

Dovorian is a lockdown project of Adam Sayer. Adam writes and records all instruments with additional inputs by Tom S. Englund of Evergrey handling vocal arrangements and lyrics, and Jonas Ekdahl, also of Evergrey, on drum programming. The album also features Johan Niemann (Evergrey) on bass for “Heathens” and Vikram Shankar (Silent Skies, Redemption) with a piano performance and writing on “Someone Like You.” The inclusion of members of Evergrey and the outstanding skills of Vikram add even more elegance and finesse to an already fantastic album.

Blade is a five-piece Finnish Hard Rock band formed in 2020. Joker And Clowns is a 10-song album filled with catchy hooks and big riffs. Intricate guitar work pairs beautifully with the rhythms to create a quirky, fun set of songs. Blade brings a modern sensibility to some of the Classic Hard Rock sounds, bringing to mind the heyday of the 80s.

Quicksilver Night is a Folk Rock project from Warren Russell. Using a revolving group of guest musicians across multiple records, he has created an eclectic styling of catchy tracks that have an interesting array of tones and textures. Gentle rhythms combine with intricate guitar leads and solos, giving life to the harder rock end of the sound, while the delicate vocals of Dikajee, whose sound varies from Folk to Neo-Classical, bring out the Progressive tones to complement the time and tempo changes that subtly dominate this EP. What you end up with is five songs that will entertain and intrigue the ears in ways rarely heard.

Nasty is a German/Belgian combo Hardcore band originally formed in 2004 as Van Damme. After almost 20 years, they have established themselves as one of the breakdown greats. On Heartbreak Criminals, they show off those talents over and over, proving they know how to shift into a Hardcore mainstay with precision and expertise. Chugging guitars and thundering rhythms are the mainstays of their sound, dominating each song and providing a consistent sound. There is no doubting who these guys are or what they want to do; make you lose your shit in the pit. Grab some space and get ready to thrash!

You get a musically focused, beautifully executed Prog Metal album that is worth every moment. The music is the catalyst, not the ability of the musician. There is a symbiotic relationship between the lyrics and the music, an organic link that builds a connection. I hope this becomes a new trend; Prog for the music, not the musician.

Vision Master is two guys going wild and having some fun while creating a combination album. There are serious elements of Classic Metal woven together with Power, NWOBHM, and even Death Metal. Fast guitars are matched by thundering drums and the vocals go from gritty to guttural with unrelenting ferocity. Just in case you like impossible feats, there is a guitar duel on “Arc Terminal X” that will drop your jaw. Some passages feel almost like Doom Metal, you know, for that brief respite between blazing solos and frenetic rhythms. This is one of those albums that passes over, through, and around genres and styles without blinking an eye, so sit back and enjoy the ride.

Hailing from Tampere, Finland, Miss Vain is a Five-piece Hard Rock/Heavy Metal band with a penchant for melodic styling. The vocals are delivered with grit and determination over shifting rhythms. Originally formed as a Pop Rock act, the first two members recruited members with different ideas, creating what you hear now, a heavier tone with  Continue Reading »